Hands Off: The New Era of Touchless Tech

Because of the recommended health and safety precautions and protocols, people have formed new behaviors and habits during the pandemic. In addition to increased handwashing and physical distancing, one new behavior that many have developed is the aversion to coming into contact with high-touch surfaces. This touch-averse behavior indicates major implications for public devices like the ATM, self-service kiosks, and grocery checkout stands. Needless to say, these behavioral changes have triggered an accelerated pace of development for touch-free technology.

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Given the circumstances, businesses in the food service and entertainment industries have been working on better ways to serve customers with ongoing operational restrictions. Not surprisingly, sales have increased for mobile app food delivery services like DoorDash, with Uber making moves to acquire Postmates earlier this summer.

To support restaurants and movie theaters, Coca-Cola has released touch-free soda machines by linking their Freestyle machines to people’s phones. The Mercedes Benz Stadium, which hosts a multitude of sporting events for Atlanta’s beloved sports leagues, is working with NCR to allow sports fans to order from their seats via a mobile app for pickup at designated concession stations.

Though touchless technology has been around for a long time, public concerns around the virus being transmitted by physical exchanges, such as handling cash, have accelerated its development. With these newly formed hygienic habits associated with survival rates, and high-touch aversions becoming a part of the next normal, it’s hard to imagine going about our daily lives the way we’ve operated before. 

Could the pandemic be driving us closer to becoming a cashless society? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.


Did You Know?

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Sweden is expected to be the world’s first cashless society. 

In 2016, cash made up just one percent of the total value of all payments in Sweden. According to Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank, cash was used for less than 20 percent of transactions that year, down by half compared to five years earlier.


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